Charge-induced reversible bending in nanoporous alumina-aluminum composite

Upon electrical charging, reversible bending was found in nanoporous anodic alumina-aluminum foil composites, as directly observed by an optical microscope and detected by in situ nanoindentation. The bending is thought to be the result of charge-induced surface stresses in the nanoporous alumina. The results suggest the possibility of a type of composite foil materials for applications as micro-scale actuators to transform electrical energy into mechanical energy.